Controller for electric motors.



Nu. 675,5l7. Patented Juno 4, l90l. F.- A. MERRIGK 81. E. W. STULL.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS.

(Application filed Aug. 28, 1900.)

(No Modal.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK A. MERRICK AND EMMET" IV. STULL, 'OF JOHNSTOWN, PENN- SYLVANIA,ASSIGNORS TO THE LORAIN STEEIJ COMPANY, OF PENN- SY LVA N IA.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS.

SPECIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 675,517, dated June 4,1901. Application filed August 28,1900. Serial No. 28,295. (No model.)

To (ti/Z whom it may CON/corn.-

Be it known that we, FRANK A. MERRIOK and EMMETT W. STULL, of Johnstown, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania,

have invented new and useful Improvements in Controllers for ElectricMotors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part ofthis specification.

Our invention has relation to controllers for electric motors, and moreparticularly to means for governing the operation of thereversing-switch, our object being to guard against improper operationof said switch by accident or through the ignorance or carelessness of amotorman. YVe accomplish this object by the provision of a lock, whichholds the reversingswitch from movement and which can be released onlyby some special deliberate act of the motorman. Inasmuch as thereversing'switch should not ordinarily be operated except theregulator-switch is at its open-circuit or off position and tofacilitate the release of said look at that time whenever necessary, weprovide means whereby its release may be effected by a special movementof the regulator handle or lever.

Our invention also consists in the novel construction, arrangement, andcombination of parts, all as hereinafter described, and pointed out inthe appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure l is a plan view of a controller embodying ourinvention with the handle of the reverse-switch removed; Fig. 2, asection on the line B B of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 a section on the line A Aof Fig. 1.

The letter C designates the shaft of the regulator-switch, and O theoperating handle or lever thereof.

D is the shaft of the reverse-switch, and D its operating handle orlever.

E is the controller-casing.

c is a lug or finger which prevents removal of the handle C except whenthe said lug is brought into alinement with a slot 0 in a guard-flange 0(Z is a similar lug on the reof said pin or plunger.

verse-switch handle, and D a corresponding guard-flange therefor.

H is a locking-lever, which is fulcrumed at h to a depending lug of thecontroller-top. One arm of this lever carries a pin I, which is designedto enter any one of a series of apertures K in a plate or disk K,secured to the shaft D, there being one of these apertu res for eachposition of the reversingswitch. The other arm of said lever extendsunderneath the lower end of a verticallymovablepin or plunger L, seatedin a guide I in the controller-top. M is a spring, which is seatedbetween the first-named arm of said lever and the controller-top for thepurpose of holding the pin I in locking engagement with the disk K.

It will be readily seen that a downward movement of the pin or plunger Lwill actuate the lever H to disengage the pin I from the disk K, andthus free the reversing switch, and various means may be provided forthe purpose of so operating said pin or plunger. We prefer, however, toeffect such operation bya special movement of the handle (3, and to thatend we form the handle with a joint at 0 so that its outer portion maybe moved in a vertical plane, and arrange the pin or plunger L directlyunderneath the said handle when the latter is at its ofi position, sothat the depression of the handle through the slot 0 will effect theactuation In all other positions the handle is supported on theguard-flange 0 In order to prevent the handle 0 from dropping into saidslot 0' each time it is moved to its off position, a spring S may beplaced between the vertically-movable portion of the handle and the lugor finger c, as shown in Fig. 2, so that a positive depression of thehandle is necessary in order to cause it to come in contact with the pinor plunger L.

It will be observed that inasmuch as the reverse-switch is locked at alltimes accidental operation thereof is impossible, and the likelihood ofcareless or improper opera tion is largely reduced by the fact that suchoperation must be preceded by a separate deliberate act.

We do not wish to limit ourselves to the particular construction,arrangement, and combination of parts which we have herein shown anddescribed, as it is obvious that our invention, as hereinafter set forthin the claims, is much broader in its spirit and scope.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. In a controller for electric motors, the combination of aregulator-switch, a reverseswitch, and a manually-controlled lock forthe reverse-switch, said lock being independent of and not afiected bythe usual operation of the regulator-switch.

2. In a controller for electric motors, the combination of aregulator-switch, a reverseswitch, a lock for the reverse-switch, and amanually-operative device for eifecting the release of said lock,independently of the usual operation of the regulator-switch.

3., In a controller for electric motors, the combination of aregulator-switch, a reverseswitch, a lock for the reverse-switchoperating at all positions of the said switch and of theregulator-switch, and means for eifecting the release of said lock,independently of the usual operation of the controller.

4. In a controller for electric motors, the combination of aregulator-switch, a handle therefor, a reverse-switch, a lock for thereverse-switch, and means for elfecting the release of said lockby aspecial movement of the said handle, additional to the usual forward,and backward movements thereof.

'5, In a controller for electric motors, the combination of aregulating-switch, a handle therefor capable of a horizontal and also ofa vertical movement, a reversing-switch, a

lock therefor, and means for effecting the repreventing the removal ofsaid handle except in a predetermined position thereof, areversing-switch, a lever arranged to engage and lock saidreversing-switch, and a verticallymovable pin or plunger arranged toengage the said lever, said pin or plunger being in position to beengaged by said handle when the latter is in a predetermined position.

8.111 a controller for electric motors, the

combination of a regulator-switch, a jointed handle therefor, means forpermitting vertical movement of the handle on its joint when theswitchis at its off position, a reversingswitch, a plate or disk on the shaftof said switch having an aperture therein for each position of theswitch, a locking-lever having a pin arranged to engage any one of thesaid apertures, and means whereby vertical movement of said handleactuates the said lever to release such engagement.

In testimony whereof we have affixed our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

FRANK 'A. MERRIOK. EMMETT W. STULL.

Witnesses:

B. M. SMITH, II. W. SMITH.

